Tips + Tricks

September 10, 2018

In a recent renovation, I kind of* invented something: the $5 house jack. Using two pieces of material — in this case: composite decking (with good compressive strength) — and some common hardware, we were able to lift the beam holding the house, the 1/2in necessary to install a secondary support post. Check it out.

By day, I spend my time as a designer and design-educator dreaming up new ways to solve visual problems with a bit of beauty or interest. However, early-on in my career, I took a strong liking to the craft of production... on the journey, I've picked up a few new monikers: builder, maker, craftsman (or the latest: "super-detail-oriented-customer"). Between cabinetry designs, bath renovations, door installs and now audio builds, I'm keeping myself busy.

This has given a unique perspective on how to get stuff done that looks great and works well. I has also dispelled the idea that "good design" isn't about uniqueness, but has as much to do with what can be produced — and repeated if necessary... and last a long time. This spans the gamut from material choices to installation techniques... and along the way, I've learned a few things. Here are three tips that might come in handy when planning a project:

1: It might look great in the catalog, but...

[tip: Ask lots of questions]

Added to the above is photographer as well — things can certainly be made to look good in pictures, but how they feel in your hand and look in person are very different things. It's important to ask questions early in the process.

This came up most recently with an inquiry about outdoor cabinetry. For instance, "veneer" and "laminate" in cabinetry are two very different things — one is primarily used to describe a natural wood covering (wood) while the latter is reserved for a man-made covering (plastic). The outdoor cabinets planned for a landscape project look great in pictures (and are very likely great in person), but this particular brand is available only online, so everything is dependent on marketing imagery or online reviews. When I began to ask more specific questions, the agents were quite helpful, but the details were still a bit foggy. In this case, I feel confident enough to order — and return if necessary — but there's a big gap between what I know will show up and what I hope will show up. Hope is not a strategy, but the questions I asked helped to instill at least a bit of confidence.

[New Age Products makes some great looking outdoor cabinets. Will they look as good in person? When they show up, I'll take pictures and report back.]

September 03, 2018

[file under: watch this space] ... We contracted with Blue Champagne Pools earlier in the summer (Mid-April) for a pool build — It's Labor Day and we're still finishing off a few things here and there. Needless to say, 45 days was certainly hopeful. That said, like any project there are ups and down. This post will chronicle the process so that folks hoping to build a new pool might learn from our experiences.

May 30, 2017

Redneckmodern started as an inside joke, then became a blog, then something else.

At the core, it's blog about the renovation of an Eichler-built home in Northern California and a sister site to Norcalmod.com. However, when we purchased the house, it was simply meant as a space to share photos with east-coast, southern relatives — the joke was: it took a move to California to motivate the purchase of a beat-up pickup truck (and not something that was otherwise part of growing up south of the Mason-Dixon line). At the same time, we started Norcalmod as a space to feature our design-build and product work.

While both sites got their start over 10 years ago, the renovation project took over (as they tend to do) — and interest grew in what we were doing grew. The site and house got a bit of attention at spots like Dwell, DWR, ApartmentTherapy, DesignSponge and West Elm's Front+Main.

Since the renovation project has almost) wrapped, there's less going on here, and more going on over at Norcalmod — and now at Cyanovox. There's still stuff to do around the house and there's still stuff to discover if you're tackling your own new renovation (so dig around), but don't be mystified if there aren't weekly updates — that's how it's supposed to go: you are supposed to finish projects, right?

Since the renovation wrapped, more time has been dedicated to your house (not my house) — and the NorCalMod projects... from built-in cabinetry to bespoke storage units (with integrated audio!) began to flourish.

June 27, 2016

On the side of the MicroEichler, there was an under-used space that needed a purpose. I had been wanting to put either an outdoor shower or a potting area (we need to latter more than the former) and both could have benefited from a flat, even surface. It gave me the perfect opportunity to further test the new CaliBamboo BamDeck and perfect the install technique with the Camo Marksman driver. Ironically, the key to success was with a competitor's product.

[Facia still needs to be installed, but the structure and deck-top are complete...]